1. Description of Related Art
The present invention relates generally to the field of electrical energy generation. More specifically, the present invention relates to generating electrical energy by converting both solar energy and wind energy into electrical energy on a single device.
Organic fuel resources, such as oil, gas and coal, are being depleted at an alarming rate. Such organic fuels, when burned, produce pollutants such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur, and soot. These pollutants are blamed for causing unwanted changes to the earth's environment.
Nuclear energy, with its promise of being a clean and efficient energy source, has reminded the human race of how dangerous it can be if not closely monitored. The Three Mile Island and Chernobyl nuclear power plant incidents both have prominent negative places in history books. Furthermore, disposal of nuclear waste, which remains radioactive for thousands of years, produces long term nuclear energy related problems that cannot be ignored.
Thus, there remains a need for an abundant, readily available energy resource that is, virtually inexhaustible, and clean. Being clean should mean that there are few, if any, harmful by-products produced during the construction of the energy conversion device or as a result of converting an energy source into useable energy.
Solar energy has been proclaimed by some as one of best sources for our future energy needs. Solar energy has been dubbed a clean energy source because the manufacture of solar panels produces a minimum of dangerous by-products and the conversion of solar energy to electricity does not produce any significant dangerous by-products.
Yet, there are a few deficiencies with the present day conversion of solar energy into electrical energy. For example, structures that receive solar energy, in order to maximize efficiency, must follow or track the sun as it crosses the daytime sky. These sun tracking structures are expensive to design and build. Furthermore, solar panels only convert solar energy during sunny daylight hours. Solar panels do not produce any significant amount of energy during cloudy days or during nighttime hours. Additionally, solar panels become inefficient as the sun heats them. It is necessary to cool the solar panels to keep their efficiency maximized. There are methods of cooling solar panels that use water or other cooling liquids, but such methods are costly to design into solar conversion devices that move to track the sun.
Wind energy has also been proclaimed as another one of best energy sources for our future energy needs. Wind turbines convert wind energy into electrical or mechanical energy and are both clean to manufacture and use. Wind turbine farms are popping up in many regions of the world and are beginning to produce energy on a fairly large scale.
Presently, there are a couple of popular types of wind turbines that are used to produce electrical energy. First there is a three-bladed wind turbine that looks like a very large propeller mounted on a high pole. These three-bladed wind turbines are operated “upwind” such that the blades face into the wind and spin about a horizontal axis. This type of wind turbine basically works opposite to the workings of a cooling fan. Instead of using electricity to make wind, this type of wind turbine uses wind to make electricity. The wind turns the blades, which spin a shaft. The shaft connects to a generator and electricity is produced.
Another popular type of wind turbine that is used today is the “lollipop” style wind turbine wherein the blades are mounted on a vertical axis. The blades are forced to spin by the wind regardless of the wind direction, but its efficiency is diminished due to the blades having to spin both into and with the wind.
Both of the afore mentioned wind turbines have drawbacks. The three bladed horizontal-axis wind turbine's efficiency depends on the wind's direction unless the whole of the wind turbine is designed to rotate vertically and point itself into the wind. The lollipop wind turbine's efficiency may be diminished due to the blades having to spin a half revolution with the wind and the other half revolution into the wind. Both types of wind turbines are not bird friendly because birds cannot see or dodge the thin, quickly rotating blades. And of course, both types of wind turbines produce little or no energy on light-breezy or calm days.
What is needed is a clean mechanism for producing energy that converts energy from one or more virtually unlimited energy resources and will continue to convert energy regardless of whether the weather is sunny, cloudy, windy, or calm.